Whole orange preserve

1. Peel fruit very thinly.
2. Soak prepared fruit in cold water for 3 days, changing water on second day. Fruit must be completely covered.
3. Halve or quarter oranges and remove pips. Boil fruit in fresh water to cover until soft. Drain.
4. Use 1 litre (4 cups) cold water for every 1 kg sugar. Add the lightly beaten white of 1 egg and the crushed shell. Mix well and bring to boil. Be careful, as it boils over easily. Boil for 15 minutes, or until syrup is clear. Don’t disturb scum. Pour gently into a basin, first lining basin with a linen cloth (or a couple layers of muslin). Lift corners of cloth and allow syrup to drain through. Add the same quantity of water as was used for making syrup, thinning it almost to the consistency of water.
5. Add fruit to half the boiling syrup.
6. Keep remaining syrup just below boiling point in another saucepan and add to preserve as syrup boils away (syrup must be boiling when added).
7. When all the syrup has been added, continue boiling rapidly until syrup will drop from spoon in thick drips.
8. As syrup thickens, lower heat and boil slowly. This final slow cooking draws out all the water and completes the preserving process. Remove scum as it rises. Test from time to time Chill a saucer. Drop a little of the syrup onto the saucer and leave to cool; it should be thick.
9. When fruit is translucent and syrup is thick when cooled, remove from stove and skim well.
10. Arrange oranges in sterilised jars with cut sides facing outwards. Fill jars to overflowing with syrup. If there are particles of fruit floating in syrup, cover top of jar with muslin and pour syrup through it. To prevent fruit showing above syrup insert a knife in the jar at the top and lying on fruit. Remove once syrup has set. Keep a little syrup to top up jars once cool (syrup must cover fruit). Seal.
TOTAL KILOJOULE COUNT: 39 150 kJ (9 355 Cal).
Sufficient for 2 large jars.